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Saturday, February 6, 2016

Last post I covered all the awesome costumes from Universal's Potter Celebration, so now let's take a look at the special exhibits and events they had going throughout the weekend.

First, and probably the biggest draw, there were several cast Q&As on the main stage:

These included the actors who played Ron, Cho Chang, Ginny, Neville, and Luna.

We especially enjoyed Neville's 70's 'stache and sideburns - which he mentioned are for a new project:

:D

The giant screens were really helpful, and even standing as far back as we were, I could hear a lot of their answers. (The Leaky Cauldron live-streamed some of these panels, btw, so click this way to watch video of them!)

The other two special attractions had enormous lines all weekend, so we didn't bother waiting for The Sorting Hat Experience:

Essentially a cast member holds the hat over your head, and a recording of the Hat's voice calls out which House you belong to. SO not worth a two-hour wait, unless maybe you have little ones.

The thing worth waiting for was the special Potter Expo:

This wait never went under an hour all three days we were there, and it even closed early 2 of the 3 days because the crowds were so big. Universal made the wait bearable by showing the cast Q&A or the movies on a giant screen over the queue, though, which was a nice touch.

Once inside you could shuffle through a short line arranged around a bunch of merchandise displays:

Oddly enough you couldn't buy any of this stuff there, though; this giant Fluffy and the Fawkes over head were from FAO Schwartz.

These Hedwig and Buckbeak hats were pretty much the greatest things in the entire building:

Your face sticks out Hedwig's belly, you guys. I want to hug whoever designed this.

I'm just now getting to the best part of the Expo - which unfortunately required waiting in yet another hour-long line:

This mini studio tour was designed to give us a taste of the big one in London. We had no idea what to expect inside, so I was pleasantly surprised in the end.

First, a pretty picture on the outside wall:

The first room was the best:

Here we got to watch two of the actual wand-makers from the movies make real wooden wands. The woman operating the lathe even designed the original Elder wand!

While they worked, a man off to the side told us what they were doing, and showed off some silicone wand molds and rubber prop wands they used while filming.

The wands they were making here were a mix of movie-used designs and some super fun free-form stuff they came up with on their own:

Look how cool:

Tiny pumpkin!!

And look at this little owl, which was way in the back:

I'm making involuntary "gimmie" noises right now, you guys. Waaaaaaant.

Next we were shuffled through here:

To look at this makeup table:

Here a lady showed us three of the screen-used items:

Ew.

This plastic dome is Harry's scar stencil:

And that's one of Ron's wigs.

The final room was a quick photo op with a Death Eater wearing a screen-used costume:

The whole tour took less than 15 minutes, but that wand room alone was worth the wait!

Back out on the Expo floor, there was also a large display for the new Potter play, and of course a large gift shop area:

Fun goodies.

On Saturday there were several fan-organized tributes to Alan Rickman, and we ended up seeing three of them in the span of 15 minutes near the Night Bus:

Wands up for Rickman.

The largest tribute was organized by MuggleNet, which first rescheduled from Friday to Saturday, then
cancelled the whole thing 10 minutes beforehand on Facebook, and finally moved the event by just yelling at everyone by the bus to move
over to Grimmauld Place, because a different group was now meeting by the bus? I think? It was all very confusing.

They held a reading on the steps, but most of us couldn't hear them, so we just stood
around awkwardly until they raised their wands.

Personally I found the first - and smallest - tribute the most moving, since it was more like a silent flash mob of people raising their wands. This one was chaotic and loud, which was disappointing.

And finally, to end on a sweet note:

There's a new candy shop in Diagon Alley!

Sugarplum's Sweet Shop replaces the old photo studio, which moved over by Madame Malkin's a month or two ago. The Sweet Shop had just opened the week before the Celebration, so it was a fun surprise:

I love the window displays.

Even better, inside the shop John had a fascinating conversation with one of the workers about how her strict Warlock father home-schooled her instead of letting her go to Hogwarts. That's some A+ dedication to theme, my friends. Love it.

This shop isn't Potter Celebration-specific, of course, but who can resist ending with a little eye candy?

Hope you guys enjoyed your virtual tour!

***

Oh, and comment below if you'd like to win that Hogwarts poster! I'll ship anywhere, so international comments are welcome. I'll announce the randomly selected winner in my next post.

UPDATE: The give-away has ended, and the winner of the Harry Potter poster from my last post IS...

Kate Mulhauser

AND

the Christina who said she and her daughter would probably frame this and put it over their TV. (And I'll hold ya to that, Christina. ;))

Yes, I decided to give both our posters away. You guys are just too
sweet, and I'm out of wall space anyway! So congrats to both my winners,
and please e-mail me your mailing addresses, ladies!

How terribly exciting! I love all things HP! I wish I could go to a place like Disney World or Universal! Sadly the crowds aren't very safe for someone with a suppressed immune system like mine. Thanks for sharing Jen! Your posts always make me feel like I get a taste of the magic anyway! I love it! <3

Oh my daughter would so love that poster. At 8, she is a more recent Potter fan and she's very devoted. She was Hermione for Halloween. We haven't yet been able to get her to Disney, but she's already scrapped that idea for Universal, specifically for the Harry Potter part. I always show her your pictures whenever you post about it. She and her little brother really enjoyed your video of the fire breathing dragon. And now I may have to hunt down a Hedwig hat.

That's so cool! I got to go to the London studio tour in 2014 and it was amazing. Mom and I always said we were going to make our way to FL, but now that they're opening one on this coast I'm waiting for that. Thank you for sharing all your pictures!

How cool! I'm so jealous of your repeated visits; I desperately want to go but it isn't really in the cards right now. We'll have to wait until our little witch is old enough to enjoy it! I'd rather go with my old friends from high school; we went to all the midnight releases together when the books came out, but now we're living all over the country.

The magic of Elsa, and of Harry Potter make my room as close to a safe space as I can get (I am cuddling with my Frozen-colored owl pillow right now, and my Hedwig puppet is watching over me). The Hogwarts Express is always the best reminder to this disordered girl that Harry did not start out in the world that he belonged in either - that there are still so many, and such varied journeys to come. Thank you for sharing. I would be ecstatic to win the poster.

I can't wait until I can finally afford to go! At least I get to see awesome pics (that just make me want to go more) that you post. I am a huge fan of the books and the movies and would love to have that poster! Thanks for the awesome eye candy!

Everything from the event looks so cool! I would have loved to go, as I just got my Universal Annual Pass, but I'm not going into the Harry Potter sections until my family comes down to visit at Spring Break - I introduced my littlest brother to Harry Potter by giving him one book at a time from when he was 8 to when he turned 12 to space them out for him, so I'm really excited for both of us to go visit Hogwarts for the first time together. I'd love to be entered for the poster, though!

Your Harry Potter posts are my favourite. Would love to go to a place like this some day. Sadly they mostly seem to be in the US, and with our dollar exchange rate being so horrible right now, that won't happen any time soon. The poster is gorgeous, btw!

SO cool! I'm so excited that they're putting one of these on my side of the country. I almost think it would be worth it to work retail again if I got to live out my fantasy wizard life with customers. Also, I would love to win the poster!

OMG, I would LOVE that poster!! It's gorgeous!! <3 I love how they feature the owls, I'm sort of addicted! <3 Thanks for sharing all of the photos, being on the West Coast means we don't get as much fun Potter stuff!

Man, I've been following for almost a year, and it's taken me this long to reach the point I can post. I love reading your posts, both here and Cake Wrecks, but I especially love how enthusiastic you are about your fandom. It helps that I share quite a few of them myself, but even the few I don't I get excited just because your text shows you are.

And of course, the times your posts make me jealous of where you live. Like when you get a chance to find such a beautiful poster. (All of this is very heartfelt, but I also would like a chance to win the poster please.)

Love the poster! Isn't that the cover of the new illustrated edition? I was really impressed by all the work the illustrator put into it (like building Hogwarts from cardboard for perspective reference and modeling friends and strangers on trains and whatnot for the portraits).

Times like these make me super bummed I don't live in Florida. Super tempted to take a 7 hour drive to see all of this though. But I love living vicariously through you guys! And the poster is gorgeous.

I love all the effort all the Potter related shows/displays/visitor things seem to go to, which always seems to be proof of the dedication of the fans. I've never been to any of them when I see pictures and I'm always impressed and want to buy all the things!

Oh I wish I could have gone! Lots of waiting, but it looks worth it. Especially now that my daughter is really getting into Harry Potter, too. I honestly teared up at that first picture of everyone raising their wands for Alan Rickman. Anywho, that poster is gorgeous! I'm crossing my fingers that I win, of course. It would look awesome in my room... I mean, my daughter's room! ;) Who am I kidding, we would probably frame it and put it above the TV in our living room.

I'm going to Universal in October, but I doubt they'll be giving away free posters then! I would love to win...not gonna lie; would probably pee my pants a little if I did! I was given a signed Dreathly Hallows a couple years ago, and am waiting to get a wand to make a shadow box display...I would put the poster as the back of the box, I think. Tell me that you wouldn't like to see that, lol! ��Love reading all the posts Jen! And hi to John, Lily, and Tonks, too!

I will never get tired of candy shoppes. There's always so much to see in them, especially if they're themed! The wand makers' (and how cool that in 2016 people can say they make wands for a living) crafts look amazing, too.

That print is amazing! See, this is just another reason why you guys are amazing, J&j! Thank you for sharing it with a of us! Of course I would like to win; that print would go so well with my open at the close art...

My brother is heading to Orlando and I told him to visit Epbot for insider info. He is just breaking into steampunk as well. I think he'll enjoy your site. Thank you! Long time reader, first time writer. PS. I love the poster as well.

Aw! I had been in Univsersal two weeks before the celebration and was absolutely heartbroken that I couldn't stay (naturally I went dressed in my slytherin robes and got lots of condolences fromEveryone there because of Alan Rickman). That poster is absolutely stunning! I'd love to have that, I'd just have to find the right type of frame for it.

I would love that poster! Thanks for the tour. Going there is absolutely on my list, but haven't made it yet. I am "rereading" the series with Audible as I walk my dog every day, and I'm on Goblet of Fire. Makes that walk so much better!

This is so amazing! I get teary-eyed just looking at your pictures; I got to go to Universal for the first time last January, and it is AMAZING! I'm so jealous that you get to visit so frequently! But at least I get to live vicariously through your posts. ^_^

My friends were stuck in Florida the weekend before thanks to the blizzard that hit the east coast. While I was house sitting and taking care of their pets (a frog, turtle, dog, and cat) they spent a day at Hogwarts. I'm definitely a bit jealous but they brought me back a Hufflepuff quidditch pin :)

Thank you for sharing the pictures! I'm (im)patiently waiting for my two little girls to grow a little older before I can introduce them properly to the world of Harry Potter - books, coloring, costumes, wands, and trips. Seeing your pics helps. :-)

I've been to the parks 3 times since Diagon Alley has opened and I cry everytime I ride the train to Hogwarts... hahaha I can't wait until I get a chance to go to one of these celebrations. They seem so cool!

We were lucky enough to go to the London studios the weekend they opened. A friend is visiting this year, so we finally have an opportunity to go back (and I can't wait). One day we will make it to Florida!

I really hope to go to Harry Potter's Wizarding World one day. You got to see so many amazing things, especially the cosplay in your previous post. I would love to win that poster. My best friend is one of the biggest Potterheads I know, and her husband's currently deployed. So, giving her that poster as a gift would surely brighten her spirits.

Thank you for sharing, both the photographs and your second poster! I'll never be able to go to the Celebration (school librarian, time off in January won't happen), so I love to see it through your pictures. Dreaming about a trip of my own some summer!

oh wow, that looks like it was so much fun! thank you for taking pictures and sharing them for everyone who couldn't go, it's the next best thing to actually being there. that poster is gorgeous too! it's awesome that they were giving them away for free!

That poster is amazing. My daughter is only 6 weeks old, but we've already started reading Harry Potter to her. That poster is the perfect addition to a Harry Potter/Lilo & Stitch/Star Wars/Batman nursery. Okay. The everything fandom nursery.

Here's a shot from her newborn photos with Snape's wand (taken the day he died, we were devastated and couldn't help it). I can't wait until she's big enough to go to Universal.

So very exciting! I had hoped to go, but alas, conflicts. I would love a chance for the poster to give to my daughter as a graduation present - sharing HP over the years has helped span THREE generations - my mom, my daughter, and I all went on one of the HP-themed UK vacations back in...2007, I think!

This is so awesome! I am jealous that you were able to go but so grateful you posted your pictures. My husband and I went to Universal Orlando for the first time this last summer and had the most amazing time.

I love watching craftspeople make things in front of me (and peppering them with questions...) - it's so cool that they had actual people working, not just a bunch of screen-used wands! A form of magic all its own. Thanks for sharing.

this is on my bucket list as one day I will get to something harry potter it doesn't matter where though. living in Alaska makes it hard to travel. thank you for doing posts like this. it is nice to see one of my dreams through your eyes.

Because of your posts I can't wait to see the new experience in Universal California in December. That poster is fantastic. the perspective is fantastic! I would love the poster but even better if it was signed by you and your sweetie!!

Thanks for sharing all of the HP stuff. I love that you live so close to Universal and can go so often. EPBOT's a recent discovery for me (found through a Pinterest post of your beautiful HP Xmas tree) and I love it. :) I'm hoping they'll make a print of the wizarding schools map, but the Hogwarts Express one is wonderful, too. :)

I...can't...wait! I'm in the middle of planning our trip, although I'm having some trouble trying to get the vacation packages to meld with the air transport on the universal Orlando site...a bit frustrating. I love the poster, and that triwizard cup!

Oh this just made me so happy to read about. I'd probably give that poster to my mom. Despite her introducing me to the series as a kid she and my sister are bigger Potterheads than I am! (Not sure how I managed that). Her birthday is in April too so we're hoping we can try to get to the Wizarding World in LA when it opens that same month.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for bringing the magic to all of us who couldn't be there. I absolutely love these blog posts, since I am in Oregon and getting to Orland just hasn't been feasible for my husband and me yet! But, they're opening a wizarding world in LA (hooray!) and that's so much closer! So anyways, thanks again for these kinds of posts to share the costumes and eye candy and pretties and magic with all of us all over the world! Also, that poster is gorgeous! Here's to hoping I'm the lucky winner :)